Adcohen – Don't worry – Blunt will be seriously injured
Fensta – I am planning something really big in that department next chapter
Grey Waters – Of course!
Amadeus16 – Why thank you!
Chapter Six
Counter Strike
Alex sat back in his cell, wondering what to do. He had awoken with pain in his neck, and what appeared to be a broken or at least twisted ankle. He couldn't escape, the door was high up, and presumably he had been brought down by some sort of ladder, that, when he had been deposited, lifted back up.
But whoever had captured him had been pretty stupid. They had given him everything he needed – he was in a storeroom. There was nothing he could really use, and old hammer, a chisel, some pillows, a sheet of cloth, and couple of planks of wood. Nothing he could use.
Unless...
He still had his gadgets with him – the men hadn't checked him, which proved that either they were really dumb, or they didn't intend to keep him for long.
He had an idea, but it would take him a long time. So he quickly grabbed the chisel and hammer and got to work. He had calculated all distances, and hoped it would work. He had to rely on luck far more than he wanted to, but he had to try.
Eventually, there were two small grooves in the opposite wall. They were stone, and they were falling completely to pieces. But, they would hold. They had to hold.
He grabbed the planks, and inserted one into each small groove. He then leaned them against the opposite wall. He was lucky, they were quite near to the door, but they still wouldn't reach. His plan was going to fail.
No – he had to escape from here, no matter what. He could probably jump it, and if he didn't – he had a seven foot fall onto hard stone.
He mounted the planks and began to climb. It was like a climbing frame at a kids park, a broken one with the rungs missing. He had completed that often enough. Just two feet closer to the ground. Two feet isn't much, but it can be quite frightening if the jaws of death are snapping at you at the bottom, and your journey up holds only more peril.
It was about halfway up when it happened. One of the grooves became looser, and Alex became aware that one of his footholds was loosening. But just as he started to move away, he slipped. The plank gave way, and suddenly Alex was hanging for dear life from a single thin plank of wood, leaning against a crumbly wall, with nothing to stop him from certain death.
It was too late, and Alex already knew it as he heard the bar creak, and then snap under his weight.
Sabina had heard the police, and ventured outside, to see where Alex was. Her parents had both been woken, but didn't think anything of it, and were soon back to sleep. But Sabina knew something was wrong, and that Alex had contacted the police.
She arrived at the house just as the ambulance was loaded with a cloth stretcher, held out by two men. On the stretcher was a figure, covered by a white, linen sheet. She knew what it was.
She ran forward, desperate to see Alex. She grabbed the closest policeman.
"Excuse me – have you seen my friend?"
"Middle aged male, dark hair?
"No. Fourteen year old boy, fair hair. He contacted the police."
"Well, he's not in the house. He must have left."
"Thanks." Sabina said, and begun to walk away. She knew Alex was dead. The killer had taken Alex with him.
Suddenly, she saw something. It was just a blur, but she could have sworn she saw a person. She was at a 50˚ angle from the house, and behind it she was sure she had seen a shadow drop down from an upper floor.
She broke into a jog, and then a run. She knew what she had to do. She had to rescue Alex.
Alex was lucky he didn't die. As he fell, he managed to move his legs, in an attempt to steer himself away from the stone floor. But, as he did, he knocked into a pile of pillows, scattering them into a heap on the floor. He landed on one, and didn't hurt himself too badly, but he was winded, and thought he had broken a finger or two.
But he couldn't escape. His planks had snapped – there was no way out.
Suddenly the door opened, and a man stepped into the doorway. He spoke to Alex.
"You are going to die. If you complain, you'll die now. If you comply, you will die later."
"Well, I'd rather die now, because I wouldn't have to smell you for much longer."
"Oh, you asked for it boy!"
He brought up his hand, and Alex heard a crack.
Sabina was surprised how lax security was. Really, she had just walked in, followed a fat man, with old, paint-stained jeans, and she was there.
She had found a metal rod, and used it now. As the man's hand came up, holding a gun, she smacked him hard in the back of the head.
He fell, landing rather near Alex.
"I didn't like the smell, either." she called down.
"I understand that, but how do I get out?"
"I'll find the ladder."
After about three minutes, Alex was giving up, and Sabina appeared in the doorway. She dropped a wooden ladder that almost reached the floor. Alex mounted it, and began to climb.
It didn't take long for Alex to reach the top. When he got there, Sabina hugged him, then kissed him softly on the lips. For the first time, Alex felt that he wasn't a spy, that he was an ordinary boy. He wasn't here on MI6 orders – he was here by accident. He didn't have to blame anyone for what had happened – he only had to thank Sabina for saving him.
"Come on," Alex said. "Let's get out of here, before we get caught."
"Alex – What about when we get back? What happens then?"
"We have to take it step by step. We'll deal with that when it happens."
Sabina was silent for a moment, then a decisive look spread across her face.
She grabbed Alex's hand, then started to run.
The two men watched the young couple fleeing. They spoke in German, their only common language.
"So? Folgen wir?"
"Nein. Unsere Priorität ist der Geschäftsmann."
They just sat and watched from a high window as Alex and Sabina disappeared. They didn't care – it wasn't their problem. Secretly, they liked angering their boss anyway.
Not another word was said until the end of the shift.